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Lincoln City Council members proposed several changes to the mayor’s budget Friday but continuing free StarTran bus rides was not among them.
The StarTran Advisory Board – a mayor-appointed group that advises the city on rates, routes and other operations – took the unusual step of earlier rejecting the mayor’s proposal to reintroduce reduced rates.
Members of the advisory board and others appealed to the council during a public hearing Monday to continue no-fare busing for two more years as a pilot, to give the city more time to gather data to analyze its effectiveness, encourage and increase ridership and help low-income and refugee families.
Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director Liz Elliott estimated the cost – despite the anticipated increase in ridership – would be $1.2 million a year.
StarTran had been offering fare-free busing during the pandemic, using federal stimulus money to pay for it and those funds will be gone soon.
Also, it appears a home visitation program for new moms and infants will remain in the budget.
In an earlier round of proposed changes, Councilman Richard Meginnis suggested not adding the eight additional public health nurses to run the program. His colleagues did not support the change during the first round of discussion.
Despite questions from some council members during the public hearing worried about the cost of sustaining such a program, Meginnis did not reintroduce that change on Friday.
The first year, the program would be paid for with existing money. It would cost $153,633 the following year and $737,725 annually thereafter.
The council will discuss the latest round of proposed changes at 1 p.m. Monday and will vote on the final changes at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Although the vote Wednesday indicates what changes council members want, it’s still possible for them to propose additional changes prior to the final vote on the budget Aug. 22.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird proposed a $243.5 million tax-funded budget for 2022-23, a 7.4% increase in spending — or nearly $16.7 million. The biennial budget would increase $9.8 million, or 4%, in the second year of the budget cycle.
The budget — bolstered by an anticipated 18% increase in sales tax revenue in 2022-23 and a smaller 1.2% increase the following year — adds 67 new city jobs.
The two primary sources of revenue are property and sales taxes, though various fees and an occupation tax comprise about a quarter of the city’s revenue.
Property valuations aren’t expected to increase as dramatically as they did last year. The mayor proposed lowering its tax rate by a half-cent, saving taxpayers $1.2 million.
Other budget changes proposed Friday include:
* Councilman Bennie Shobe reintroduced a proposal to transfer $250,000 from the reserves in both years to use as incentives for homeowners to replace heating and cooling systems with more efficient options. During the first round of discussions, council members didn’t support the addition, and Shobe reduced the amount by $50,000 each year.
* Meginnis recommended removing a proposed Health Department environmental health educator, and removing a vacant position to fund an additional city clerk employee. He'd use remaining funds from the vacant position for budget education and training for the City Council.
* Meginnis recommended freezing two proposed fee increases for child care programs and food handlers and reducing general fund reserves.
Two changes suggested earlier -- and approved by the council at an earlier meeting -- are back. They include adding $1 million to the little-used business incentive called the Fast Forward Fund and $100,000 to fund a study of the upper watershed of Salt Creek.
Teri King (left) and Tom Dorshorst dance during The Zoo Bar's ZooFest music festival July 8.
Dominic Silva (left) lifts up Dertha Williams with help as he pushes her on a tire swing during Lincoln's annual Uncle Sam Jam at Oak Lake Park on Sunday.
Women display signs to passing cars during an abortion rights rally held in front of the Nebraska State Capitol on Monday.
Nebraska state Sen. Julie Slama hugs a campaign volunteer after a press conference hosted by Citizens for Voter ID at the Capitol on Thursday. Citizens for Voter ID submitted petitions to the secretary of state to add a voter ID requirement to the state constitution.
Skaters perform during the USA Roller Sports Roller Figure Skating Indoor National Championships on Saturday at Speedway Sports Complex.
Carpet Land's Owen Laessig's hat flies off his head as he throws to first base to retire a JC Brager batter on June 29, 2022, at Den Hartog Field.
Cathy Smith (from left), Rick Boucher and Shelly Horton ride horses in Pioneers Park on Monday. The city has approved restoring 1.9 miles of horse trails in the park.
Charity Reeves is shown Friday in her kitchen in Nebraska City. Reeves said her brain fog persists after recovering from the initial symptoms of COVID-19, and she has to rely on note cards to remind her of daily tasks such as turning off the stove.
Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Ravi Singh demonstrates a drone during a news conference on Thursday at Nebraska State Patrol headquarters.
Konni Anderson (left) talks with Becca Monroe of West Mill Flowers Friday.
Customers carry out fireworks from Black Dragon Fireworks in Hickman on Friday.
Ashley Peterson, a special-education teacher at Lincoln Northwest who suffers from prosopagnosia, also known as facial blindness, was recently featured in a National Geographic story talking about the condition.
Dana Davenport, Josie Kinsinger and Dee Bronson (from left) set up a phone so they can film a reel for Instagram at Aria Rose Bath Co. on Thursday.
Andie Trimble (left) and Nicole Polivka wear paint-stained dresses while protesting the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade during an abortion rights rally held in front of the Nebraska State Capitol on Monday.
LINCOLN, NEB. - 07/06/2022 - Buster the dog looks on as supporters of medical marijuana sign petitions, Wednesday, July 6, 2022. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
LINCOLN, NEB. - 07/10/2022 - Protesters march around Lincoln Station during a rally in support of union rail workers, Sunday, July 10, 2022. Union rail workers in Nebraska are negotiating a new contract under the Railway Labor Act, after the previous contract expired in 2019. NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
Lincoln's catcher Skyler Weber reacts after scoring a run against Kansas City during Saturday's game at Haymarket Park.
Ozzie Pederson gives her Warmblood horse, named Smokey, a bath in preparation for the Lancaster County Super Fair, which starts Thursday.
Lincoln High's Beni Ngoyi (center) and others, including Adonis Hutchinson (first from right), gather for a photo after Ngoyi announced his commitment to Iowa State on Wednesday at Lincoln High School.
Adam Helmerichs, owner of Diamond Concrete Cutting, organizes tiles removed from the Pershing Center mural Wednesday.
A young Husker fan takes a photo of Memorial Stadium during Nebraska Football Fan Day on Tuesday.
Carpet Land celebrates after defeating Pinnacle Bank in the A-5 American Legion tournament championship Tuesday at Den Hartog Field.
Union Bank's Thomas Neal is shown during an American Legion Area 5 tournament game against Carpet Land on Sunday, July 17, at Den Hartog Field.
Racers run out of the starting line during the Husker Road Race Sunday at Memorial Stadium.
A 1962 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible is auctioned off during the Remlinger Collector Car Auction at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Ashley Peterson (right) adjusts the mortar board cap for her son, Bryce Peterson, during a graduation ceremony from Future Husker University at Memorial stadium on Friday.
An attendee looks at tractors during the Camp Creek Threshers show Saturday near Waverly.
Former Papillion-La Vista softball player Jordy Bahl, who now plays at Oklahoma, lights the torch during the Cornhusker State Games' Opening Ceremonies on Friday at Seacrest Field.
A dragonfly lands on a lotus, Monday at Sunken Gardens, where temperatures topped out in the low 90s.
Platte county attorney Jose Rodriguez stands outside of the Platte County Courthouse.
Sampson Construction third baseman Noah Thiele leaps over Pinnacle Bank's Max Olivas during an A-5 district Legion game Thursday at Den Hartog Field.
Dallas McGee, who is retiring at the end of the month from the city's Urban Development Department, poses for a photo at Bill Harris Iron Horse Park in downtown Lincoln. In the early days of the Haymarket redevelopment, renovating Lincoln Station and creating Iron Horse Park was considered a turning point for development in the area, McGee said. “All of a sudden, people were saying ‘we need to take you down and show you Iron Horse Park'” when visitors came to town.
As temperatures in Lincoln soared toward the upper 90s on Tuesday, families took advantage of the spray ground at Trago Park. Temperatures are expected to stay in the 90s for the next week and possibly top 100 on Friday and Saturday.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.
Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
Margaret Reist is a recovering education reporter now writing about local and county government and the people who live in the city where she was born and raised.
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If the City Council approves a three-year contract for Lincoln Police Monday, the city's officers will be the highest paid in the state.
Fee increases proposed in the city's budget apply primarily to businesses – from restaurants and food trucks to tattoo parlors and child care centers.
Native advocates turned to the city's Board of Zoning Appeals to try to stop a housing development near Wilderness Park and a Native sweat lodge.
The study is called "scenario planning" to assess the impact of development both inside the city and beyond, and what Lincoln can do to mitigate that impact.
A home visitation program for new moms, continuing free bus rides and investments in climate change were among the issues raised at a public hearing on the mayor's proposed budget.
Nebraska's governor and attorney general have gone on the attack against a federal policy aimed at preventing discrimination in school lunch programs based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The StarTran advisory board rejected a proposal in the mayor's budget to reinstate lower bus fares in favor of continuing free rides but agreed to reducing hours to deal with a driver shortage.
Case numbers dropped more than 3% last week from the previous week. The county's risk dial is remaining in the low orange range.
This is the first time since February that city employees have had to wear masks.
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